Reversed Monochrome
by Toxinator
Summary: The myth, the night of madness, is it real? Is it true that whoever is out during that night disappears? What about the seven legends, I heard they fell victim to the same madness they tried to defeat. What does it mean? Oneshot.


_Yet another Soul Eater oneshot from yours truly. _

_Ive got nothing to say about this one, so just dive on in.  
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><p>"That's another down, only ten more to go," A meister and weapon stood in the streets of Death City, the last screams of the Kishin Egg fading away in the distance. The weapon took the red, evil, pulsing soul and swallowed it whole, just like she did with every other Kishin Egg soul she was required to eat. After all, she wanted to become a Death Scythe, just like every other student at the DWMA.<p>

"That one was easy," Said the meister. "Im getting tired of all these simple Kishin Eggs, I want a challenge..."

"Well, maybe we can find a harder mission, next time," The girl, the weapon, reassured her meister. He simply nodded, and they headed for home.

They lived together, the meister and the weapon. It was a rare thing to see, the team of two living together. But, then again, it was more of a normal situation for them. The weapon's mother was off somewhere in the world, and her father was...more or less irresponsible. The meister's family history remained a mystery, and it was never spoken about. But he didnt mind, he liked living with his weapon. It made for a better relationship, and also, less of a job.

The two were named Soul and Maka, after their famous ancestors. Related by blood, Maka was the distant offspring of Maka Albarn's father, Spirit, and some other woman he got to be with. Soul, on the other hand, was a direct descendant. He was the distant offspring of Soul Eater and Maka Albarn, who had become a couple later in life. Obviously, they had children, and each male in the family was named "Soul." They were both proud of their names. After their great and famous ancestors...

So, the two were cousins, and their blood relation made it easy to be partners. Maka was the weapon, and Soul was the meister. It was as if the roles had switched, the original Maka and Soul being the opposite of the newest Soul and Maka. It was almost laughable, but the pair thought it was a perk, at the same time.

"Maka, do you believe in the night of madness?" It was a sudden question, right after a very long and content silence in the streets. Maka only looked at her partner questioningly.

"It's just an old ghost story, why, do you?" She poked Soul with her shoulder playfully. He quickly responded to defend himself.

"Of course not!" He said loudly. "I was only thinking about all of those coincidences, since the night of madness is in eight days from now. You know that's going to be the annoying blabber of every other kid in the school."

"Yeah, but why ask? It's just a story parents tell their kids so they wont stay out late at night,"

"That's probably true, but all of the coincidences that come with it are weird."

"I can't disagree with that," After that, Soul said nothing. Instead, Maka picked up the conversation where it left off just moments before the two were going to bed for the night. "Hey, Soul, why don't we just ask Lord Death about it tomorrow? We can also ask for a harder mission while we're there."

"Why ask about that myth, he's just going to say it's fake,"

"Well, now you've got me interested in it. So, goodnight! Ill wake you up in the morning!"

But when the two arrived at the DWMA the next day, they had the hardest time finding Lord Death. So, their questions were postponed. But they were assigned a new mission, another Kishin Egg hunt. It was an away job, so it was put, on a small island that neither Soul nor Maka chose to remember. Kishin Egg hunts were always the funnest, however easy. And after a lot of running around the city in search of it, they had to sit to rest. Only a few short minutes passed before there was the echoing scream of a human being from a very close distance.

"Let's go Maka," Soul sprang to his feet and started running, with his partner right behind him.

"Right!"

After only a short moment of brisk running, the two were stopped when the Kishin dropped down in front of them. It was a pretty gross one, it had loose, paper white skin with a great number of uneven blades coming out of its back. Its knuckles were dragging on the ground, and it had short legs. Not even its face was anywhere near good-looking, it was droopy but fearsome, with large, slanted red eyes and pointed teeth. Almost like it was laughing, it lifted one of its large hands and blades slid out of its stubby fingers, like it was threatening Soul and Maka.

"You sure are an ugly one," Soul said, taunting the beast. It growled in response, inching closer to the two of them.

"Are you ready, Soul?" Maka confirmed, placing her feet in a strong position. Nodding with a grin, Soul answered.

"Go for it," And in the next second, his weapon's body lit up and in another short second, she was in the form of a beautiful scythe. A sleek black staff with a point at the top end, a shining silver blade, the sharp half cutting off to be black in color.

Maka, Soul's weapon, was now in his hand at his side almost carelessly. He looked up at the Kishin simply, as if it was nothing to him. Roaring, the ugly thing jumped into the air and tried to land on Soul, only to have him use it as a booster to climb higher. Now in the sky, Soul looked down at the monster, a grin plastered to his face. He swung his weapon around his wrists and arms, coming down fiercely on the Kishin. It bolted out of the way in time to only receive a gash on one of its legs. Crying out it roared loudly, turning around in rage and swinging at Soul and Maka. But each blow was met with a strong deflection from the meister. The slashes from the beast went on for what seemed like a long while, and that condescending grin on Soul's face slowly began to fade. But at the very moment Soul saw an opening, the grin restored itself as he took his weapon in both hands and swung it around without an effort, catching the Kishin in its way. With a small cry, the ugly beast faded off, leaving behind the ominous and red soul.

Maka's accomplished feeling was even apparent through her weapon form. Sure enough, she was smiling when she came out of her weapon form. Brushing off her shirt and balancing herself, she walked up to the Kishin Egg and took it in her hands. Opening her mouth she took the thing in a big gulp, feeling it slighly pulsing as it was going down. Sighing and patting her stomach for emphasis, she looked back at her meister.

"Nice work, Soul," She smiled. He gave her a half-smile in response.

"Of course," He turned around, waving his hand in the air. "Now we can go home,"

"Lord Death," Soul and Maka were in the death room, and Maka was preparing to ask him about the myth.

"Yes, Maka?"

"You know that old myth about the Kishin's madness, on the night of madness? Well, I wanted to know if you know whether or not it's, you know, real. I thought that you would know, of all people." Lord Death considered the question for a long while without speaking, but when he answered, it almost sounded like he was forcing a happy tone.

"Now, why would you want to hear whether or not an old ghost story is true?" He tilted his head to to side.

"Well, just all of the coincidences surrounding it are too...well, convincing to be fake. Besides, you're the only one still alive after the Kishin Asura was revived. Im curious," Soul sighed half-heartedly, but he could tell that just from Maka's voice that she really was interested in it. So, he stood by and listened.

"I see," Lord Death responded. "If you really are as curious as you seem, I can tell you that all of the stories about the missing people are true. And none of them were solved,"

"None of them?" Maka clarified.

"Not a one," He shook his larger finger back and forth with each word, and then continued after a sigh. "If you two were any other students, I would not be telling you any of this. It is only because the two of you are descendants of Maka Albarn and Soul Eater. Now, I will not say whether or not the _myth _is real. It is said, in that myth, that the madness of the Kishin Asura comes alive, strongly, for only the anniversary of his revival, and only during the night. And during this time, it is said that his madness infects all that is within its reach, which, is Death City civilians, will go mad, and either kill themselves or another, or they will run away all together, never to be seen again.

"Now, the facts about this madness was never dis-proven, and was unable to be tested. But one thing has always baffled me. The seven heroes who defeated Asura, even they fell victim to the madness. Maka Albarn, Soul Eater, Black Star, Tsubaki Nakatsukasa, the Thompson twins, and even my own son...no, not even he was able to resist the madness..." Lord Death was quiet for a long time, but soon he went on. "There were theories that sprang up after the seven had disappeared, leaving behind a mess of bodies, and a lone photographer's camera as proof that it was they who had done the damage. Each theory and idea was shot down, until there was only one that remained. Oh, I can't remember what it was exactly, but it was something to the fact of...as long as the person was exposed to the madness, even if it was not visible on the outside, it would, at some time surface itself, mostly in a weaker state of mind or being. And, if it did not, it was said that the madness would be passed down through the generations until it _did _show. With that, there was a sort of, side-theory, which is the main reason why I am telling the both of you this, in the first place. It was said that, if the madness was strong enough, it could pass through generations, even if it showed itself in each person it may have been passed to."

"So, you're saying that..." Maka's voice trailed off, and Soul picked up the end of the question.

"That the two of us have a chance of falling to the madness, right?" Lord Death was silent, and then gave a simple, one-worded answer.

"Yes."

"But what about the actual night of the madness?" He asked strongly. "Does that night increase the chance of the madness surfacing, or what?"

"It can, but it has never been tested. How can something like that ever be tested? But, I've told you enough. You two should go. You know more than most of the professors at the Academy, now." And with that, the meister and weapon left the death room. Halfway out the door, Soul remembered the reason why he even tagged along.

"Lord Death," He called.

"Yes, Soul?"

"Is there any way you could assign us a more challenging mission? The ones we've been getting are just the same things over and over, it's no longer a challenge for the either of us."

"Hm, well, there is one mission that I have had trouble handing to a team, recently. It is about time someone with a little more confidence came along."

"Thanks, Lord Death,"

"Now, Soul, I must warn you. This assignment will be a challenge, a real challenge for the both of you. This Kishin Egg is far stronger than anything you have ever faced. Be cautious."

"We will!" Maka called, and the team left, and they headed out almost right away for the place the Kishin Egg hunt was to take place.

They reached their destination quicker than expected. It was a small village surrounded by forest, but it looked deserted. That is, until night fell and the Kishin Egg showed itself. It was thin and muscular with long and tattered black hair falling over its face. When it first showed up, its head was down, and walking on its legs upright, it looked very human, besides the fact that when it looked up you could see its round, white voids that were its eyes staring at you. Soul could tell by its soul wavelength that it was powerful than the others they had fought, just like Lord Death had promised, but even by the look of it he was able to tell. In the back of his mind, Soul wasn't completely sure that they would come out alive on this one.

"Listen, Maka," Soul whispered, the Kishin watching them, still as a statue. "This one is stronger than anything else we have ever faced...Lord Death was right...So let's do our best to get through, alright?"

"Why do you sound so scared?" She slowly moved forward, reaching out for her meister's hand.

"Because," He started. "I...I don't think this will be very easy at all," Just then Maka took hold of Soul's hand and the Kishin responded with a loud roar, a screech that made you want to cover your ears in pain. With the opening it created, the Kishin dashed forward, catching Soul off guard. Maka tightened her grip and changed into her scythe form as fast as she could, her new appearance shining in her meister's hand. Barely dodging the rushing Kishin, Soul stumbled back, taking full grip of his weapon.

_"Don't worry Soul, we can do it, I promise!" _He nodded in response to the muffled sound of his partner's voice, keeping his eyes open and alert. The Kishin turned its head around and screeched again, making Soul wince and Maka cringe. It dashed at them once again, but this time he was prepared. Sticking the blade out just before the Kishin reached it, Soul thought he at least gave it a gash, but instead, the beast stopped half an inch before it. Staring at it, Soul felt frozen. He didnt move, but something told him _not _to move, even with the Kishin right in front of him.

_"Soul, what are you doing? Kill it!"_

"I..." When he spoke the Kishin snapped its head to Soul. It was so close and scary, Soul felt like it was reading his very being. "...can't," And just like that the Kishin made a move so swift, so quick, that it was nearly possible to see, but completely impossible to dodge. The meister and weapon were sent flying backward, Maka being tossed out of Soul's hands when he hit a wooden building behind him.

_"Soul!"_ She cried, seeing him out of the corner of her eye. The Kishin was walking slowly up to him, but Soul wasnt budging. _"Soul, get up! Come on, Soul! Soul!"_ Maka wanted so badly to change into her original form. The Kishin was steps away from her meister, but she knew she couldnt change. It was too dangerous, but a weapon was always willing to die for her meister...

"Stop it!" Maka jumped before Soul's motionless body, her arms out in a protective gesture. The Kishin stared at her, now, its frightening eyes peering into her. She hated it, but she had to stand it for the sake of her meister. Behind her, she heard him stir and moan. She was instantly happy, and smiled. She turned around to look at him, but the second she did the Kishin pushed her back, and took another step toward Soul. Maka crashed into a pile of crates, putting her in pain.

When Soul opened his eyes to see the Kishin staring back at him, he felt frozen. He didnt know what to do again, but felt that he needed to just stay still and watch the Kishin like it was watching him. It was so still, it was impossible. A time that seemed to take an eternity passed, when Soul found himself suddenly stuck in a thick liquid. He was coated with it, surrounded by it, and being dragged further down with each breath he took. He tried to call out for his weapon, but to no avail. He was unable to move, and was struggling to keep his own soul inside of himself at the same time. He tried to thrash and battle to the surface, he could see it right above him. It was so close, but whenever he tried to move or even reach out to it he flew farther away. Then he felt a cool, but warm feeling in the palm of his hand. There was a familiar and comfortable aura to it, and when he found out what it really was he was feeling he found himself standing, the Kishin stumbling back in pain, with his weapon in his hand. Looking around him, Soul was more than just confused.

"What...?" Soul mumbled, and then the Kishin screamed, and rushed at him. Soul's mind almost slipped away, and he felt like he was about to move back into that thick liquid, but he barley took control of it. It was a battle in his head, but without him even knowing, Soul was moving around the Kishin like he never had before. He was swinging his weapon around him in ways he didnt think he could ever learn or know, but when he heard the final fading screech from it and saw the floating soul, it was like he had woken from a dream.

_"Soul,"_ Maka's voice was excited, and she had a smile on her face when she changed back to her normal form. "What was that, I didnt know you could do anything like that," She reached down and picked up the soul, eating it in one gulp like all the others. Soul, on the other hand, was not as elated about the defeat of the Kishin like she was.

"Uh, I, I don't know...I guess it just sort of, happened..."

"Oh, well, I told you we were gonna make it!"

"Yeah," Soul wasn't really paying attention to Maka, though. Instead, he was thinking about what had happened. Was it just all in his head? Did that Kishin do something to him? "Was that the madness...?"

"What?" Maka called, thinking she was the one being spoken to. But Soul only shook his head, saying that he was only thinking out loud. On the way home, the entire experience was nothing but, but a dream, to the meister. Maka didnt stop talking about how cool Soul's movements were, but he wasnt really paying attention to her. When they finally arrived home, late at night, Soul went right to his room, uttering a "goodnight, Maka." He glanced at the calender he had posted to his bedroom wall, and searched for the current day's date, and how many more days until the night of madness.

"There's only five days, now..." He said, kind of uttering to himself. But that vision, that state, that _realm, _Soul had experienced would not leave his mind. "I'm probably just freaked out by that Kishin today...I'll be fine tomorrow morning," He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and pushing the thoughts of the faces and the Kishins away. That night, he had no dreams, only sensations of pressure and darkness.

_"What is going on?"_

"I..." Soul looked up at the new enemy they were facing, or, rather, the ene_mies._ "I don't have any idea..." Standing only feet before him were two classmates of Soul and Maka's. But they had the wavelengths of Kishins, and it was no mistaking that it was them who they have been assigned to defeat.

_"Soul, are you sure?"_

"Yes, Maka, I am completely positive, these two...are the targets of this Kishin Egg hunt."

_"But they're not Kishins! They're students!"_

"I know, but..." And that second the opposite pair's weapon lit up and changed into the form of a longbow, the thin silver shining by the light of the deranged moon they had all grown under so peacefully. The meister aimed the bow at Soul, who readied Maka in his hands. In a smooth movement an arrow made of the meister's soul wavelength was fired and Soul deflected it with Maka's blade, sending it right into the sky. Another arrow was fired, and Soul had to jump away to avoid it. Arrows were being fired faster and faster, and Soul was trying to find some pattern in the firing, although there was none. He ignored Maka's obvious suggestion, saying that he needed to get closer, but the problem was, "There's no way without getting hit..." But in a quick burst of courage, Soul charged the meister, watching the arrows being shot and aimed. When he got close enough, the meister tried to dodge Soul's slices with his weapon, but only succeeded twice before getting caught in its path, and injured fatally. The meister bled for a minute or so, then faded away like any other Kishin would. The weapon had not changed back to its normal form, and out of the cold part of Soul's heart, he sliced the bow in half with Maka's blade. The figure turned back to its normal form, leaving a seemingly human being bleeding from a severed arm on the ground until it faded away. Both beings had left behind Kishin Egg souls, but Maka was reluctant to take them.

"Soul," She said, changing back to her regular, human form. "We...did we just kill our own classmates...?" Soul was silent for a while. He had no idea, but he was tired of admitting that he didnt know. Instead, he started walking away.

"If you're going to take those souls, then take them. If not, give them to someone else...we should get going."

"But what if we ask Lord Death-"

"What if he says that's impossible?" Maka was quiet. Soul sighed, dragging his hand across his face. "Have you ever heard of a Kishin that looked exactly, and acted just like any other human? Especially if they were a weapon and meister? It's unheard of...if Death said it wasnt possible, then we would have just buried ourselves alive. They would think we murdered two of our classmates, and there would be no way to prove that they were Kishin Eggs..."

"I..." Maka started to say something in response, but decided that Soul was probably right. He usually was, anyway. Sighing, Maka took the two souls, and regretted eating them afterward.

"Let's go home..." They started on their way back, but Soul told Maka to go on ahead, he needed to take a walk. She agreed, and they separated. He walked to the DWMA, stopping in front of the steps. After feeling no better, he turned around, and tried a different route home. But, he started seeing things, scary things, out of the corner of his eyes. He thought he was being followed when only the wind was blowing behind him. In the pools of water he saw faces that werent his when he looked into them, but then on a second look he would just see his own reflection. He thought he saw things moving across the walls, and once again thought people were behind him, watching him.

"Leave me alone...!" He demanded, but the illusions only got worse. He felt things touch his back and arms, and saw people ahead of him when there were none. And if there was someone passing him on the street, he would see their faces morph and turn ghastly, and then he would see the person move to attack him, even though they hadnt made such a move. In what felt like a lifetime of torture, Soul finally made it home. He acted normal, even though he burst in through the door. Maka asked what was wrong, but Soul only shook his head, and closed himself in his room for the remainder of the night.

He did not sleep, not that night, nor the one that followed. The only dreams he had were day dreams, when he spaced out. He would sometimes dream when he was blessed with five minutes of passed-out-from-exhaustion-sleep, but even those dreams were of nothing but fright and darkness. Whenever he came back from sleep or a day dream, the last thing he would see was the eyes of the Kishin with the white eyes, followed by the shocked looks of the meister and weapon he had killed.

"What is happening to me...?"

"Soul?" Soul jumped in his seat on the steps of the Academy. School was out and Maka had come up behind him. Sighing and rubbing his face, Soul answered tiredly.

"Yeah, Maka?"

"Soul, I don't know what's been going on with me," She began with a quiver in her voice, catching Soul's interest with her statement. "but, ever since we fought the Kishin with the white eyes I havent been able to close my eyes without being scared to death...and, the whole thing about the madness in our blood only scares me more."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Soul was so tired, he was speaking halfheartedly, but Maka should know the truth, he reasoned, so it didnt matter as long as he told her. But she started talking first, making sure that no one was listening.

"I...I see things, scary things, and, I always feel like, at night, Im being watched when Im not, and sometimes I see people attack me...I don't know what's going on, Soul...Is, is the madness real? Do we really have it in us like Lord Death said we might? What if we go insane? What happens if the madness gets us?"

"I've...been having the same thing happen to me, Maka." She looked at him with wide eyes.

"What...?"

"The same things have been happening to me, Maka. Last night was the worst...but ever since that white-eyed Kishin, I havent slept for more an an hour or two...And, when we were fighting it, after you were thrown, I stared at it, but I couldnt move...whenever it looked at me, I felt frozen in place. And, before I hit it for the first time, the only thing I remember is being in a dark place, somewhere impossible. I was stuck in a thick liquid, and I couldnt get out. Then, when it cried out, I came back to myself, but when we were moments from defeating it, I was struggling to keep myself from going into that state again. I don't know what it was, but I am scared that it...that it was the madness." The two were silent for a long time, and Maka felt like she was on the verge of tears. She held it back as hard as she could before speaking.

"What are we going to do, Soul?" Maka looked at him with pleading eyes, but he only sighed.

"We have four days before the night of madness. If these things, these...happenings, keep going on, then we may fall to the madness." Upon hearing that, his weapon was devastated. Falling victim to the madness was the very last thing she wanted to do before she died, and as far as she knew, the madness would mean her death. She wasnt ready, Soul wasnt ready, not for death, not for madness, not even for sleep, were they ready.

Three days from the night of madness.

Soul and Maka did not leave one another's side, not for a moment. And if they needed to, they were completely aware of where the other had gone, and were being reassured as often as possible that they had not gone anywhere alone. But even so, they still shuttered and flinched at the nothing that seemed to be after them. They still felt watched, and they were still seeing things. Of course, they would see these illusions at different times, so when one saw something, the other would be there to tell them that nothing had been there.

On the way home, right after they were released from school, Maka cried out, and began flailing out of nowhere. Soul was by her side, and had to fight to keep her calm. He whispered her name, and kept telling her, "It's me, it's Soul," until she came to her senses. She did not say what it was she saw, but, then again, whatever it may have been, it was scary, and if you see something scary, it's not as if you'd want to talk about it openly.

"Soul," She said, after they had returned to their home safely. "Our mission for tomorrow, where do we have to go? And what are we doing?" It was unusual for Maka to be asking a question, especially if it was as important as a mission. But, the madness had seemed to be effecting her a whole lot more than it did Soul. And Maka was perfectly aware of the difference between the two of them.

"We're going to the outskirts of Death City," Soul responded after taking a drink of water. "It's nothing special. Just another Kishin Egg on the loose..."

"Okay..." She sighed, and stood from where she sat, and went right to her room, saying she was going to bed. After all, there was a mission the next day, and she wanted to feel rested. Soul did the same shortly after Maka did. Their fears were more alive than ever in the night, but because of the mission, they forced themselves to sleep, even after awakening from horrifying dreams.

There was no school, only the mission.

There was nothing to distract them from arriving to fight that Kishin Egg.

And, of course, there was their growing madness.

But upon waking up the next morning, the pair was as rested as they could be, after a night of strange and intoxicating dreams. They headed out early, to try and see if they could track the Kishin's whereabouts during the day. Of course, it was nowhere in sight. Why would it make itself visible to the public, anyway? It would surely be destroyed, then. Then again, Soul and Maka were planning on destroying it, anyway. It's coming out at night was only a delay, as far as the meister and weapon were concerned. Then, it came.

The city was asleep, when only hours before it was definitely awake and alive. Soul and Maka were wandering around when it was found, in the back of a dead-end alleyway, hunched over the demolished corpse of something that was once a human being. It was making crying and whimpering sounds as if it was guilty, but it was laughing, as well. From the distance Soul and Maka were at, the creature looked paper white, and it's spine was sticking out in an almost sickly way. It also looked very human, from the back, anyway. When it heard the pair's footsteps, it stopped it's crying and looked at them over it's shoulder. It's face was covered by what looked like hair, and it's eyes were hidden. It's mouth was naturally in the form of a frown, and sharp teeth could be seen gleaming in the little moonlight. Slowly, it rose to it's full height and turned around.

Maka became tense at her meister's side. She took a single step back, upon which the Kishin watched her. Soul, too, felt the need to be cautious, as his weapon was, but he looked at the beast with anger in his eyes. Slowly, it came closer, and the closer it came, the faster Maka and Soul came to realize what it was.

"Soul..." Maka almost whispered, involuntarily. "Don't tell me that, that's the Kishin from before," Her voice quivered, her fear was raising, she didnt want to see that Kishin again. It had done so much to her already, what did it want, now? What was it going to do to Soul? How did it survive after it was killed? Why was it so interested in them? These, as well as many more questions were going through both the meister and the weapon's heads, but tried to keep them away. "It can't be," Maka whispered, closing her eyes and holding one clenched fist to her chest. Soul said nothing for a long time, keeping one arm out in front of Maka in a gesture of protection, and watching the Kishin.

"It's the same one," He said, not caring whether or not the thing heard him speak. "I don't...know how, Maka. But, I do know that it's our job to get rid of it," That was Maka's cue. She quickly changed forms, her blade once again shining when she turned. Soul held her blade-down and away from his target, the black shaft sticking between his side and his arm, his hand resting on it to keep Maka at balance. The Kishin was much taller than Soul was, but he looked at it like it was absolute scum. His eyes were full of hatred.

Then, the Kishin made a move that shifted the hair from its face, and those white voids of eyes were revealed. Although they seemed to read Soul as the first time, he kept his cool.

_"Soul, please be careful,"_ Maka pleaded on the other end, and in response, Soul simply nodded. But there was no consoling her worry, not now.

"Alright, Kishin," Soul said harshly, "I don't know how the hell I killed you before, but you're just one of those things that need to stay dead," And Soul made his first move. He swung his weapon around his side and used the blunt end to stab at the Kishin, who only took a solid step back. Soul continued this until the monster was backed into the corner, where he then flipped his weapon around his shoulder and made a fast swipe at the Kishin's abdomen. It moved impossibly fast, causing Maka's blade to go slicing into the brick wall they were next to. Soul had a hard time getting it loose, where he then left himself open. Maka saw the Kishin move toward Soul, but a second too late. She cried out,

_"Soul!"_ But the Kishin had taken hold of Soul's entire head with its lanky, bony hand, and lifted him into the air. Soul tried to hang on to Maka, but he could not, and was pulled from her. She cried his name once again as he fought off the Kishin, or, while he _tried _to fight it off, anyway. Soon he lost strength and breath, and when he was motionless, the beast dropped him to the ground. Then, its body quickly moved to Maka. She had changed forms just before Soul became still, and that was her mistake. She fell quiet with fear, and as it approached her in its slow fashion, she made an attempt at questioning it.

"How are you still alive?" She nearly demanded of it, but it only stared at her with those white, empty eyes. She closed her eyes and asked another question. "What are you doing? What do you want with us? Why don't you just attack like other Kishins do!" The thing did not answer, of course. Instead, he took Maka by the head like he had Soul, and then slammed her against the wall. She called out in pain, but was quiet soon enough. Yes, she fought for a moment, but then was motionless.

"Maka...!" Soul had reawakened, and when he saw his weapon in the Kishin's hands with blood staining her clothes, he tried to run at the thing, but could not. The Kishin looked at Soul, and then dropped Maka. She landed on the ground limply, eyes wide and mouth slightly agap. "Maka, Maka!" He crawled to her and sat her against the wall as best as he could, and tried to shake her senses back to her. But he could not. She was unresponsive. He turned to the Kishin, raging.

"What did you do to her-" He was cut off when the Kishin slammed him into the wall, and that's when Soul fell into the same condition as Maka was in. His body became limb and motionless as he felt his mind slipping away from it, and then he found himself surrounded by darkness. On all sides, there was nothing but pitch black. He could see his own body, but nothing else. He called out for Maka, then for anybody. But no one was around, not until he heard the deep, whispering, raspy voice of someone behind him.

"How do you like it?" Soul whipped around, and saw the Kishin standing a distance away. He called out to it in anger.

"What is this place? And where's Maka? What have you done with her!"

"All in good time, Soul. Now, how do you like this place? What do you think of it?"

"Where is this?" Soul repeated. The Kishin seemed to sigh, although it remained motionless.

"This is where you find yourself when you turn over your right mind," It answered. "I find it to be inspiring, and I have seen and thought of things in here that I never would have learned of before, had it not been for the night." Just then, something clicked in Soul's mind.

"The night? Do you mean the night of madness? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, it has to do with everything," It said. "Why you're here, why I'm here, why I have yet to die, although you saw it yourself, why you had to kill your classmates, and even why you've been seeing what you have."

"This, this can't be..." Soul backed away, suddenly overcome with fear.

"Madness."

"No," He refused. Then he felt himself sinking, and looking down Soul saw himself standing in that thick liquid from before, and the more he resisted the faster he sank. "No! No, I can't let the madness get me! No!" He fought every inch of the way, until he was completely surrounded by it. The Kishin had disappeared, but his voice was still ringing in his head. "Maka!" He tried to call, but there was no sound. There was a deafening sound, and then images, horrible images, of Soul and Maka killing people, violently. They were such graphic scenes, and he could not stop them. "What is this...?" He clutched his hands to his head, trying to stop what he was seeing. But nothing could help. He felt the movement of his muscles as if he was swinging his weapon about him, and even felt the slight resistance one gets if they try to slice something. He felt blood splatter on his hands and turn cold, and then he heard the sound of his own, menacing laughter.

And although he was now unaware, Maka had been seeing, hearing, and experiencing the very same thing. The Kishin, it talking to her, being swallowed by that black ooze, and even seeing images of killing people.

Maka woke up screaming, the images of murder fresh in her mind. She was in a cold sweat, but when she looked around, it was the middle of the night. She was breathing heavily, like she had been running for a long time. But she was in her pajamas, and the moon looked down on her through the window as it always did. A second later, Soul burst in, asking what was wrong. Maka only shook her head.

"No, it's nothing," She said. "Only a nightmare..." She sighed, and wiped her face off with a nearby towel. Soul sighed and went back to his room. Maka looked at the clock at her bedside after her meister had gone, and it read 3:56am, the day _after _their mission with the Kishin on the Death City outskirts.

"What...?" She rubbed her eyes, and checked again. It was the same. She rose and looked at a calender, and the dates were the same. She even went as far as to check with Soul, who was not happy about her barging in, but, even still, the dates remained the same. Now, there was really only two days until the night of madness, and what she just dreamed did nothing to help her feel better. But when she returned to bed, she had no nightmares.

The funny thing?

Soul had no nightmares that night, either.

When they woke up in the regular hours of the morning, both of them were incredibly refreshed, and the first things they said to one another was about how wonderful of a sleep they had gotten.

"You, too?" Maka asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Soul said, taking a swig of orange juice. "Not a single nightmare or unpleasant sight all night long."

"That's good," Maka said. "Aside from that one nightmare I had in the middle of the night, I didnt have anything else happen,"

"Hm," Soul put the carton of juice away and went to sit elsewhere, to think. He didnt really know what was going on. He didnt remember anything more than seeing those images, and then waking up to Maka screaming. How did they get home and in pajamas, even, without any recollection of it? "What is going on?" That seemed to be the popular question, for the both of them. There were so many strange things, why was there no real explanation for it all, Soul wondered. Then, he spoke about it.

"Hey, Maka,"

"Hm, yeah?"

"Do you, remember coming home last night? 'Ya know, after that whole 'Kishin' thing..." He asked her delicately, picking his words carefully. She tensed up, but he did not notice. Instead, she tried to make it as if she _did _remember.

"Yeah, of course," She answered. "Of course I do. We beat the Kishin and then came home, pretty early in the morning, too, so, really, we came back this _morning._ Anyway, we came back, I had a nightmare, and we found out everything was fine, and here we are." Luckily, her sarcasm was like a second nature to her. Lying was no hard job, although, this lie made her feel guilty. "Why?"

"Because I don't remember coming home at all, and then, I suddenly wake up to screams coming from the other side of the wall in the middle of the night," Maka giggled, trying to keep the mood happy, for a change.

"You don't remember? Well, maybe you were just too tired. You went right to bed, when we came back," Another lie.

"I must have been..." And that was the end of the subject.

That night, though, when Maka went out to buy groceries, on her way home, she saw the Kishin out of the corner of her eye. It followed her, but when she looked for it, it wasnt there. Afraid, she tried to rush home. But when she took her normal shortcut, the Kishin suddenly appeared before her, blocking her path. She tried to speak, and even to run, but she was stuck, frozen. Before she was sucked into the same state as the last time she saw the beast, she felt her body fall still, and the bag of food slip from her hands. Then, there was only more images. The first scene was almost the same as the ones she had seen the night before, but then when that one was over, another, new scene came. Maka was alone, in these images, transforming parts of her body into blades and attacking people. Then, when she came back to reality, she was standing at the front door, a paper bag of freshly bought food in her arms. Shaking it off, Maka adjusted the jacket she was wearing, and went inside with a smile.

"Im back," She said, but Soul was in the shower. So, she put the new food away herself, and then went to her room to change. As soon as she closed her door, the shower stopped. She sighed, exiting her room and knocking on the door.

"What?" Soul said from the other side.

"Just wanted to tell you, I'm back,"

"Alright..." He sighed. Maka smiled and returned to her room. Taking off her shoes and socks, she relaxed before changing, as she normally did. She unzipped her jacket, and tossed it to the side, and was about to start changing the rest of her clothes, when she noticed a red stain on her sleeve. Looking and glaring at it, she began to glance at the rest of her sleeve when she instead saw the dark red all over the front of her white shirt. Screaming, Maka ran from her room and into Soul, who had just exited the bathroom. She was scared and had tears in her eyes, and when Soul finally managed to get her off of him, he saw what was covering her entire front side.

"What the-Maka!" His voice was full of concern as he held her at arms-length, his eyes wide. "Maka, what, what is this, what _happened,_ where did all of this blood come from?"

"I, I don't know, the, the Kishin, it was,"

"The Kishin, what Kishin?"

"It was the, the white eyes, it was that thing, I saw him and, and,"

"And, what, Maka, tell me what happened!"

"He, it stopped me, blocked my way, his eyes, and the, it was that Kishin, the same one...! And, oh, it...the images...!" Maka tried as hard as she could to explain what had happened, but finding that she was drenched in someone's blood made her far too afraid to want to even talk about it. Soul, clearly not getting any answers, pulled his partner close to him, and wrapped his arms around her small and shaking frame to calm her, telling her that she was fine, and that it was nothing to worry about.

When she was finally calmed, Soul sent her off to change, and told her that he would be doing the laundry, due to the stains that she would probably never want to see again. And when she came out, she was in her normal, off-white pajamas with her hair down and brushed. Soul piled the clothes next to the washer, and then led her to her room, where he made sure she fell asleep. When he left, he went into his own room.

"I might as well get whatever clothes Ive got to wash..." He carried his laundry basket full of dirty clothes to the washer, and then sorted the darks from the whites. But then something caught his attention. At the bottom of the basket, there was a crumpled, red shirt. "I don't own any red," He said to himself, reaching out for it, and then dropping it when he realized that the shirt was cold and damp with the scent and color of blood. Even the dark areas of the shirt were stained, which only brought panic to his heart. These were _his _clothes, and whose blood was on them? Certainly not his own, and definitely not Maka's. "I don't understand anything, anymore..." He uttered, putting the bloody clothes in a bucket of soap and water, and starting a load of laundry with all of the other clothes that were left. After that, he returned to his room for sleep, as well as another night of nightmare-less dreams.

The next day was the Eve of the night of madness. It was a Sunday, and they had no school the next day, because of the night of madness. The two were also mission-free, and had nothing to do for the remaining time until school began.

"Soul," Maka woke up her meister, just to ask him a question. She seemed to be all better, to Soul's tired eyes, but he couldnt know for sure. He knew that his weapon was good at lying and putting on facades.

"What, Maka? And why did you wake me up?"

"To ask you a question," She stated, almost happily. "Have you been, you know, seeing things, anymore?" Soul sat up straight with his arms to lean on, his attention now completely on her.

"What?"

"Seeing things," Maka repeated. "Are you seeing things anymore? And what about sleep, how have you been sleeping?"

"I've..." Soul was apprehensive, not really knowing how to answer the question, although the answer was so simple. "No," He finally said. "Seeing things has stopped, all of the sudden. And, I've been sleeping, actually, very well, come to think of it. Why?"

"Because I've stopped seeing things too," And with that, Maka left sight of the doorway.

"Hey, Maka, wait!" Soul jumped out of bed and rushed after her, and tried to find out why she had asked, but she only said it was out of curiosity, since they had both started seeing, hearing, and dreaming about nothing else but scary sights at the same time, so, since she had stopped seeing those things, she wanted to know if Soul had the same thing going on with him.

When that was out of the way, and when both meister and weapon were ready for the day, they decided to go roam around Death City. They wandered until night came, and when that grinning moon had risen above their heads, unanimously, they chose to start back home.

But, what was the Eve of madness without a little event?

They were walking alone, side by side, down a part of the city that was abandoned, to say the least. There was no light save for the moon above them, and every building, brick or wood, was either rotting, falling apart, or already in ruins. It was no understatement to say that it was one of the scariest places to be on a night like that. It only got scarier when that white-eyed Kishin fell down from the sky, blocking their path.

"Maka!"

"Right!" The weapon tried to change into her scythe form, but was cut in the middle of the process when the Kishin grabbed her by the head and threw her against the wall, her body falling limp and wide-eyed, as it had the last time they faced the beast. Soul tried to run after her, calling her name, but the Kishin swung a bony arm around, knocking the air from Soul's lungs when it made contact with his abdomen. Falling on his knees, he did his best to gain back the air he had lost, but when he looked up to insult the creature it instead seized Soul by the throat, and lifted him in the air, those white eyes staring into him. Struggling to get free, Soul made his attempt at insulting it.

"You, ugly piece...of _trash...!"_ Then Soul was sent to that dark place once again, with the Kishin ahead of him. He glared at the thing, demanding answers. "You told me that this place would have all the answers I need, so where are they? Tell me!" The Kishin took a moment to answer.

"Let yourself sink," It said. "this place is made of the madness, this place is in your head," There was an echoing silence at the end of the Kishin's sentence, and Soul had nothing to say. "Tongue tied? Mind Blown? It's expected...I didnt really think you would figure it out unless you were told. The same goes for your feeble weapon," The thing's whispering voice was so menacing, so evil, it was angering just to listen to it.

"This place, is my mind," Soul repeated. The Kishin was silence with agreement. "Then why don't you put the idea in my head for me, Kishin," He proposed, glaring. "Tell me the answer to my questions, give me an explanation!"

"I will answer...three questions, nothing more, nothing less."

"Three? No, answer them all!"

"I will answer three questions, nothing more, nothing less." With an irritated growl, Soul had no choice but to agree.

"Why have I been seeing things?"

"The madness,"

"Explain what you mean by that, then." At first, the monster was going to deny Soul the privilage of knowing, but then again, that was a statement, a demand, and not a question. The Kishin had said nothing about statements...so he explained, but did not tell Soul of the loophole he allowed.

"The madness...is in your blood, running through your veins. Your weapon is the same. The madness has made itself clear at the same time, due to your heritage. The night of madness approaching has quickened the madness' process, making it come to a reality even faster than it would in any other, regular, sane individual."

"So, if the night has been coming so quickly and making the madness come faster, why have Maka and I stopped seeing the things the madness made us see before?"

"It's the murders, the satisfaction of making the fears of other's come true."

"Wait, the murders, what murders?"

"You and Maka, and once, Maka alone, have killed an amount of eight people. She has killed three, by herself, making a total of eleven. That is also an explanation of your ruined clothes..."

"How? We havent murdered anyone!" The Kishin was silent, and now, Soul was yelling. "Answer me, dammit! Who did we murder? Why did we do it, and what proof do you have that it was us? God _dammit_, you monster, answer me! And why can't I remember!"

"I have answered the three questions I promised,"

"Three? No, you didn't, you only answered-"

"Your first question was about seeing things. The second question was about why you no longer see the effects of the madness. And your last question, you asked, 'What murders?' Your questions are gone." The the Kishin was gone, and Soul was alone in the dark. He was standing in the liquid again, only, now, he could hear Maka's voice, fighting. He looked around in search of her.

"Maka! Maka, where are you?"

"Soul? Oh, Soul! Help me, where are you?" Her voice sounded far away, and was barely hearable.

"I, I don't know, but, Maka, listen to me and calm down," She was frantic, but he calmed her down in seconds, and then went on. "Maka, you have to be calm, don't fight it, okay, _don't,_ fight it!"

"But, Soul, I dont want to-"

"Maka, for Death's Sake, _don't fight!"_ She listened, and Soul, himself, also listened to his words, until there was nothing left. Nothing to see, nothing to hear where he was, and the same was for Maka's side. He could feel her close, and he knew that his body was moving, but he was out of it's control. There was something going on, and only a sensation of want was there. But Soul could not fight back, no, in order to get answers, he had to sink in, like the Kishin said.

Maka, on the other hand, did nothing else but fight. As a result, she only sank deeper into her mind, into her madness. Soul was unable to calm her anymore.

They were lost.

On the outside of their minds, it was the day of madness.

The meister and weapon's bodies idled in the dark corners of alleys, in the shadows of buildings, anywhere that was dark. But they were quiet, unresponsive. And when the night came, the night of madness, there was nothing but screams of the innocent ringing through the walls and streets of Death City. Blood was shed, laughter was heard, fulfilment was sought, madness was found. And against the grinning shape of an evil moon, stood the blank-eyed silhouettes of Soul Evans III, with his mad weapon over his shoulder, blood staining his skin, and insanity staining his heart.

* * *

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